5. Impulsivity
Many people with ADHD find that they are very emotionally driven, the brakes that you have that slow you down when impulses happen may be a bit leaky. So you need to find some strategies to help you to stop and think through what you are doing. The same is true for emotions, they may happen very suddenly without much notice and be quite strong.
Learn from experience! •
Are you feeling a certain way (e.g. already anxious/ agitated?)
Is there a certain time of day?
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Is there a certain place?
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• Are there other things that make you more likely to be impulsive (e.g. food, alcohol)?
Is there a certain environment?
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• Are there certain people you are more likely to be impulsive with?
Before acting:
• Ask the opinion of someone you trust.
Take time to think it through.
•
• Perform a simple action to allow yourself time, e.g. put your hand over your mouth for a few seconds or breath in and out and say a phrase to yourself like “let me think about this”.
• Write your ideas down and add pros and cons to work out whether they’re good or not.
• Some impulsive behaviour can be driven by emotions. Learning about your emotions can help you to more easily recognise when you are feeling a certain way and therefore to not react so emotionally. An example of some support with this is: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/mental-health/emotional-intelligence- toolkit.htm
DEVON ADULT AUTISM AND ADHD SERVICE 20
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